Cryogenic engine for Gaganyaan mission tested successfully

Shubhadeep Choudhury

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New Delhi, February 21

India’s ambitious human space flight mission ‘Gaganyaan’ has got a major boost with the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday announcing successfully completing the human rating of its CE20 cryogenic engine.

“Human-rating refers to rating a system that is fit to safely transport humans,” an ISRO official said. Targeted for launch in 2024-25, the Gaganyaan mission aims to launch a crew of three humans into an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission and bring them back safely to Earth by landing in sea waters.

“ISRO has accomplished a major milestone in the human rating of its CE20 cryogenic engine that powers the cryogenic stage of the human-rated LVM3 (launch vehicle mark 3) for Gaganyaan mission with the completion of the final round of ground qualification tests on February 13. The final test was the seventh of a series of vacuum ignition tests carried out at the High Altitude Test Facility at ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri, to simulate the flight conditions,” the space agency said in a press statement.

ISRO aims to set up India’s very own space station- ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ by 2035. Another big target is to send Indian astronauts to the Moon by 2040.